Colonial Beach Public Schools

Colonial Beach Public Schools is a small, two-school division in Virginia serving roughly 593 students, with Colonial Beach Elementary covering grades PK–7 and Colonial Beach High covering grades 8–12. Despite nearly 90% of students qualifying for free/reduced lunch, the district earned a 3-star rating and ranks 60th out of 131 Virginia divisions, landing in the 54th percentile.

Math is the district's clearest strength, improving as students advance. While 3rd grade math trails the state (57.89% vs. 74.04%), proficiency climbs in 4th, 5th, and 6th grades, and 7th grade math soars to 82.5% proficient versus the state's 51.1%—a 31-point gap. The high school continues this trend with 100% proficiency in Geometry and 88.57% in Algebra I. The elementary school also posted dramatic gains in 5th grade science (from 53.85% to 78.79%) and reading (66.67% to 81.82%). However, early elementary literacy lags, with 3rd grade reading at 55.26% vs. the state's 67.61%. Reading also dips after the transition to high school, falling from 85% in 7th grade to 66.67% in 8th grade, and 11th grade reading trails the state by 11 points.

The high school is a graduation success story, posting a 100% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate versus state averages of 92.3% and 5.0%. Yet there is a striking spending disparity: the high school spends $20,321 per pupil compared to just $5,715 at the elementary school, despite similar overall proficiency averages. With only 367 elementary and 226 high school students, year-to-year test scores can swing dramatically due to small cohorts—5th grade science jumped nearly 25 points in one year, while 4th grade VA Studies dropped from 85.29% to 69.23%. Families should view individual grade-level results with some caution, but the district's overall trajectory is positive, with both schools improving their average proficiency scores year over year.